1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a beverage dispenser, for ejecting a beverage from a nozzle under a user's control, and to an alarm device for the beverage dispenser.
2. Description of the Related Art
A beverage dispenser installed in a restaurant or the like ejects desired beverage stored in the dispenser into a receptacle such as a cup by operating a button or a lever provided on a front surface of the dispenser. Recently, beverage bars have been installed in particular restaurants and beverage dispensers are installed in such beverage bars. In the beverage bars, not only employees but also customers are allowed to operate the beverage dispenser to eject a desired amount of a desired beverage into the receptacle.
In this regard, when a general customer operates the beverage dispenser, there is a risk in that a finger tip of a customer unskilled in the operation may touch the nozzle of the beverage dispenser. In such a case, not only the next user of the beverage dispenser feels discomfort but also various bacteria may enter the interior of the beverage dispenser to cause the beverage dispenser itself to become unsanitary.
To avoid such a problem, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2003-54697, a beverage dispenser is proposed wherein, once the operator places a receptacle at a predetermined position, a conveyor device transfers the receptacle to another position at which the receptacle is inaccessible to the operator and, after the beverage is fed to the receptacle at the latter position, the receptacle is returned back to the original position. Further, in this Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2003-54697, as a door capable of being closed after the receptacle has been transferred to the inaccessible position is provided, it is possible to prevent an operator's finger tip from touching the nozzle or others.
However, in view of the recent world situation, the possibility is not negligible in that a man of evil intention may set a toxic material or something unusual in the nozzle of the beverage dispenser. In the beverage dispenser disclosed in the Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2003-54697, it could be thought that such a man of evil intention intentionally breaks part of the door, through which he has access from outside of the beverage dispenser to the nozzle within the interior of the beverage dispenser. In such a case, it might be supposed that if the distance between the position at which the receptacle is placed and the inaccessible position is longer than a length of a human arm, it is possible to prevent the man of evil intention from having access to the nozzle. Even in such a case, the man of evil intention may have access to the nozzle if an long tool is used. Once the man of evil intention has access to the nozzle of the beverage dispenser and set the toxic material or something unusual, other users or a person in charge of the beverage dispenser cannot recognize the fact until a problem has occurred.
Also, as the beverage dispenser disclosed in the Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2003-54697 must transfer the receptacle between the position at which the cup is initially placed and the inaccessible position, a size of the beverage dispenser becomes large as a whole, as well as conveyor means is separately required, and the beverage dispenser is complicated in structure to increase the manufacturing cost thereof.
Accordingly, the present inventors have diligently studied to overcome the above-mentioned problems in the prior art and obtained the conclusion that it is possible to solve the problems by issuing an alarm when an obstacle approaches the nozzle. Based on this conclusion, the present invention has been completed by providing a beverage dispenser satisfying the above function.
Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a beverage dispenser capable of informing those around the dispenser of the access by an operator, and particularly a man of evil intention, to a nozzle in the interior of the beverage dispenser.